Fay Ripley: People got their ‘bits and bobs’ checked after my Cold Feet cancer story

Fay Ripley on the moving reaction to her cancer storyline in ITV comedy drama Cold Feet

Fay Ripley has been overwhelmed by the response to her cancer storyline in Cold Feet.

The last series of the hit ITV comedy drama saw her character, tough-talking Jenny Gifford, diagnosed with breast cancer and Fay has been inundated with viewers telling her what the story meant to them.

“People rush up and say, ‘That happened to my mum, my sister, me, my dad…’ And I’ve had people texting me and coming up on the street saying, ‘I never checked myself before, but I checked and something been taken out.’ It’s mind-blowing,” Fay told us.

“Women of a certain age watch this show and that’s the age that need to be particularly checking their bits and bobs, so if more people have done that as a result of this story, it’s a big deal to me. I have spent my whole working life going, ‘Oh well, I’m only an actor, I don’t save lives’. I won’t be saying that anymore.”

The current series has shown Jenny completing her cancer treatment. But she is still struggling to cope with what the future may hold and how she should be feeling.

“Jenny feels isolated and confused about what’s next for her,” said Fay. “She’s coming out of it, but she is still on her journey. Life is carrying on but it is still impacting her family.”

“A friend of mine had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She’s just come through the treatment and she could only watch a bit of the show and she said, ‘Don’t let her die’ because it felt really important to her,” said Fay. “So I’m glad that we’re dealing with it where there is hope. And there’s a journey that’s recognisable to people who have been touched by cancer.”